‘Non-negotiable’ – Reported Celtic swoop for attacker hits snag

St Mirren chief Tony Fitzpatrick has confirmed that attacker Lewis Morgan wont leave the club until the end of the season after it was reported he is on the verge of signing for Celtic.

The Daily Record has claimed that the Championship leaders will only sanction the transfer if Morgan is loaned back to the Paisley side for the rest of the season.

It is understood that Celtic were eyeing up Morgan as a replacement for the injury Jonny Hayes and Partick Roberts, however Fitzpatrick has made St Mirren’s stance very clear.

“We are unanimous and unequivocal – Lewis will be staying with St Mirren for the rest of the season,” he said.

“That is a non-negotiable part of any deal with any club.”

Morgan has been rumoured to be joining the Hoops for weeks now, with the Daily Mail reporting that a deal worth £300,000 is set to be completed this week.

Football Insider verdict

It seems that the Hoops will have to bow to the demands of St Mirren on this deal. The Paisley side are well within their rights to demand that the winger stay with them as they attempt to win promotion back to the Scottish Premiership. It remains to be seen if this move will have any impact on the transfer, or if Celtic will go ahead with the deal, which is set to cost £300,000. Despite the Bhoys’ injury worries, there is no guarantee that Morgan would have got near the Celtic first-team at the moment, with James Forrest and Scott Sinclair the men currently on the wing for the Hoops. The signing should still go ahead, but don’t expect Morgan to be at Celtic Park until pre-season training begins in June.